Vancouver Games against any Beijing boycott

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Organizers of the
2010 Winter Olympics in Canada warned on Wednesday that any
political boycott of Beijing Olympic Games over unrest in Tibet
would only end up hurting the athletes.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee is monitoring the
growing political controversy surrounding the upcoming Summer
Games in China, but has not felt any direct impact on its
operations or finances yet, officials said.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge
said there have been no government calls for a boycott of the
Beijing Games, but at least one rights group has suggested the
more limited protest of boycotting the opening ceremonies.

"Our view is that boycotting the Games serves little or no
purpose except to penalize athletes who really serve as the
best role models there are," VANOC Chief Executive John Furlong
told reporters following a meeting of the group's board.

"It's the one good thing that sport gets to do... there are
no borders for athletes," Furlong said in a news conference
that was dominated by questions about Beijing rather than
Vancouver.

Canada's Olympic Committee is also opposed to any
boycott-type protest against China.

The 2010 Games on Canada's Pacific Coast have so far
avoided getting linked to any major political controversies,
aside from local disputes over issues such as a shortage of
affordable housing in Vancouver.

VANOC said it has not lost any sponsors worried about being
linked to the Olympics because of the controversy over the
Beijing Games.
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